Back To Business [Anyone]

[Hadrian]

Night had finally fallen when Hadrian lifted his head from the cushions of the couch he laid curled upon comfortably. Actually, it was more off Jack's leg. The man had fallen asleep, watching television after a long day of volunteering and working at the Shelter. He was still asleep, judging by the light snoring emenating from under the blanket he had half-cacooned himself in. Hadrian enjoyed spending time with his owner, and had quite happily plopped himself down upon the couch, afterpurposely making himself a nuisance and sprawling out across Jack's lap.

Now that Jack was asleep though, it was Hadrian's turn to do his work. Rising slowly, the former fighter stretched and gave himself a cgentle shake, pausing to glance over at his owner when he shifted and grunted in his sleep, letting out a louder snore as his sleep was disturbed. Waiting until Jack was comfortable again and slipping back into deep sleep, Hadrian dropped down from the couch with a thud and padded towards the back of the house.

Slipping silently through the large-sized dog door, the General was soon out in the back yard and headed for the fence. Glancing around, Hadrian was soon pulling at a loose corner of the chainlink fence and squeezing his way through as quietly as possible until he found himself out in the alleyway behind Jack's home. Taking a deep breath, Hadrian's form relaxed visibily before he began his trek out towards headquarters.

Silvery eyes scanned the area as the stocky canine trotted through the darkness, well-muscled legs carrying him to the park quickly. As his feet reached the dewey, chilled grass, Hadrian felt a little more at ease. Cropped ears perked upon his lightly scared, blocky skull as the Fort came into his line of sight.

Slipping inside, the General glanced around. No one home. Well, he was early, after all, but it was with good reason. He had noticed, in his time outside with Jack, that there were several new families coming into town, accompanied with a variety of pets. If there was even a chance that any of them came to the park, well, he wanted to be sure to give them a proper introduction.

Finding one of the many pillows scattered about, the pitbull plopped down rather unceremoniously upon it, snatching up one of the toys that also lay scattered around the floor of the Fort. Chewing idly on it with a soft snort of boredom, Hadrian waited in patient silence for his Legionnaires to arrive one-by-one, hoping that maybe a few new faces would join the crowd.

[Squeeji]

Quentin had come to the fort earlier this evening than he usually would. Jeremy, his college bound male human keeper with the many holes in his face filled with pieces of metal had gone out early to partake in one of his 'benders' he was so fond of. Which meant he'd be out late, and up even later...which meant that the little crested gecko had the run of where ever he wanted to go.

The fort itself was a mild curiosity, it collect dogs like no body's business. So far he had only met the Tan and white female named Slipstream, who never did tell him what a Frisbee was. And he kept returning every night thereafter to get the info out of her. But she did not come.

But this time someone new entered the Fort, a male, brown and tan. Big. Quentin licked his eyeballs at the sight of the general. Not knowing whether he should say something or not. Dog and cat creatures always had the queer notion that he would taste good. He was fortunate that the tan and white female did not think so. But he wasn't going to claim this large tan and brown male wouldn't.

Quentin watched in rapt fascination as the pit bull chewed on the toy idly, taking extra note at how bright, shiny and pointy his teeth were. With a moment of concern for his well being the gecko leapt from one corner of the fort to another. Damning instinct since he basically alerted himself to the big male.

"Apologizes, Male, Tan and Brown. I did not intend to spy on you. I was waiting for Slipstream, Female, Tan and White." He still stuck to the shadows, keeping out of sight, he would come down if Hadrian proved he wasn't going to eat him.

[Sarhea]

Night had come after a long day for Shila. For a change of pace, her mistress had taken her to an orphanage to bring cheer to the homless children. She had enjoyed that for the most part, only disliking the fur pulling of the very small children. As she come home, Storm had greeted them at the door as usual, and as usual, he carried with him foreign scents. She'd given him a knowing glare and he only gave a coy sneer in return. The little punk. He'd always get away with it. She only hoped that he was not getting himself into too much trouble. She didn't know what she'd do without the big brother that she'd grown up with-they were very close.

Shila stood up from the large pillow beside the mistress's bed and headed out into the back yard. She'd not caught Storm's scent and knew better than to think that he would be in the back yard. She missed the days when they would play hide and seek, always together. Now he seemed to find more interest in the world beyond the fences and she missed him. Her honey brown eyes scanned quickly adjusted to the dark of night, scanning the backyard and the large park beyond. She remembered the day that she herself ventured out from the backyard by way of the loose boards in the fence. That day she had met the tan and white border collie Slipstream that she'd seen day after day in the park, and always seeming to come and go from one particular point of trees in the park.

She trotted to the loose boards and pushed through. Once out of the fence, she trotted cautiously into the park, heading to the spot she has seen Slipstream come and go so often. As she neared it, a variety of animal scents greeted her, and she even thought she smelled a faint hint of Storm. He'd been here. As she came through the trees, she spotted the old fort, and as she came even closer, heard voices...male voices....Storm? She trotted once around the structure before spotting an entrance and slipped in.

As her eyes adjusted to the new surroundings, her gaze fell upon the large brown and tan pit bull laying on the pillow. That was not Storm. And he was very battle scarred. She froze, only her eyes moving, searching for the other voice. She would have do something, say something....

"Um, I'm sorry.....I ...heard voices, and thought maybe a friend of mine was around. My name is Shila," she sputtered, not usually caught so off guard, her normal confident calm gone without a trace. Where was the source of the other voice? I should have never left my yard, she thought.

[Hadrian]

The faintest sound of movement in the Fort caused Hadrian to drop the toy he had been boredly gnawing on, only to glance around and find no sign of anyone within the little wooden structure. Canine brows furrowing slightly with confusion, Hadrian shifted upon his pillow to rest while he waited. However, before he laid his head upon his forelegs, a rather broken voice with equally broken speech interrupted the silence.

"Apologizes, Male, Tan and Brown. I did not intend to spy on you. I was waiting for Slipstream, Female, Tan and White."

It may have been broken speech, but it was incredibly clean-cut and precise, especially with the observation it held.

Cropped ears perking slightly, the general's head shifted toward the side, seeking out the source of the voice. In the dark, he could see no shadowed shapes of canines, or felines for that matter. With a soft huff of both confusion and and weariness, Hadrian continued to glance around. No spy would apologize for spying, unless they were incredbly daft.

"Apology accepted, my hidden lurker," Hadrian spoke with a hint of amusement in his deep voice as he gave his head a small shake, "Slipstream will be here eventually. You're welcome to show yourself and wait with me... It would be nice to see just who this invisible observer is that I'm speaking to."

As his own voice died away, the sound of pawsteps reached Hadrian's ears, causing the male to redirect his gaze towards the entrance. The silhouette of another canine stood outlined in the moonlight, the scent wafting into the Fort one that Hadrian did not recognize.

Um, I'm sorry.....I ...heard voices, and thought maybe a friend of mine was around. My name is Shila."

The female seemed polite enough, though sounded like she was incredibly uneasy at stumbling upon what appeared to be a pitbull talking with the shadows. With a soft, brief chuckle Hadrian gave her a kind nod.

"I was just speaking with my new friend, who seems to be lurking about in the shadows around here, somewhere... And really, there's no reason to apologize. If you're not looking for trouble, you're welcome here, Shila."

Rising slowly to his feet to show both new arrivals that he meant no harm, Hadrian took a step closer to Shila, his docked tail giving a short wag. Two new faces in one night. Things were looking up.

"I'm Hadrian... Welcome to the Fort."

[Squeeji]

Quentin licked his eyes from his hiding place, there was now a female, red and white who referred to herself as Shila. She seemed far more safe than the Male, Tan and brown, who sounded politely spoken enough, but he was a big male, and full of pink holes and lines on his body that didn't grow fur. Sighing the gecko crept down further, displaying himself. Brown and pointy, and strangely absent of a tail.

"I am sorry I hide. You dogs. Full of pointed teeth. Carnivores." He shook his head and darted his tongue over his eye again. A nervous habit. But he nodded towards both of them politely. "Shila, Female, red and white. Hadrian, Male, tan and brown. I am Quentin, Male, brown..." he paused wondering if the dogs were able to tell what he was. "...Gecko." He was quick to jump to the farther side of the wall...he was antsy waiting for Slipstream, and hated to have to wait for her to tell him what he wanted to know.

It was so rude.

[Sarhea]

The pit's gaze met hers. She had no idea what to expect. She'd never met a pit bull before, not even in the show arena, and never had she met another dog with such scarring. In fact, this was only the second time she'd left her yard without her mistress's companionship. But the scarred dog before her held a kind look in his eyes, a gentle chuckle sounding followed by a welcoming nod.

"I was just speaking with my new friend, who seems to be lurking about in the shadows around here, somewhere... And really, there's no reason to apologize. If you're not looking for trouble, you're welcome here, Shila."

Her spirits brightened, a slight ease falling upon her as she glanced around. A lurking friend? Her gaze shifted to examine the seemingly empty room except for the two of them. Her gaze fell back to the male pit, who now stood, his stub of a tail wagging in greeting.

"I'm Hadrian... Welcome to the Fort."

She gave him a warm smile as a movement caught her eyes; something small, brown....Her gaze focused on it, when the small creature's voice arose.

"I am sorry I hide. You dogs. Full of pointed teeth. Carnivores." He shook his head and darted his tongue over his eye again. A nervous habit. But he nodded towards both of them politely. "Shila, Female, red and white. Hadrian, Male, tan and brown. I am Quentin, Male, brown..." he paused wondering if the dogs were able to tell what he was. "...Gecko."

Shila gasped in surprise as her eyes locked on the small brown reptile. Yes, that was the other voice she'd briefly heard. She had never before seen such a creature. She was curious, and the little reptile seemed pleasant enough as she took a few steps closer to the two. She noticed the fear of the small brown gecko-she woud be fearful also if she were surrounded by creatures so much larger than she. She turned her attention back to Hadrian.

"Thank you for the warm greeting. I mean no harm, to either of you." She smiled and nodded a warm greeting to both creatures. She glanced around the fort.

"You live here? This is a very cozy place. I met another dog a few days ago. She called herself Slipstream. I have seen her come to this area before. And a bird...a bird talked about a group...." Shila couldn't deny that she was curious. She was beginning to see why Storm snuck out so much. There was so much about the world that she didn't know about. And excitement and fear of the unknown drew her like a magnet. And already in her first two outings, she'd met friendly creatures...there were no friendly creatures in the show realm...only stuck-up competetive dogs who would sabatoge others in a heartbeat....

"I was curious of this group." she stated simply, looking to the pit and then back to the gecko.

((OOC: sorry bout the intro stuff....i personally like to have an original meeting to start my characters out...))

[Deev]

One by one, the lights in the white clapboard house were turned off as the family inside slowly made their way up to their beckoning beds. Out in the yard, Sita sat admiring the clear, sparkling sky, golden eyes wide with interest. The weather had been wonderful all week and Sita did not mind spending the night in the yard, the shelter of her luxurious dog house always an option but not considered tonight. Once the last light disapeared from an upstairs bedroom, the long legged Saluki mix amble toward the side gate, attentive ears perked forward, cautiously surverying the outside world through the wooden slats. Now was her chance. Standing on her strong hing legs, Sita began to paw and scratch at the gate, forcing it to wobble precariously. After a moment more of this coaxing, the broken latch gave way and freedom was hers for the taking. With a sway of the tail, powerhouse legs kicked into a hasty voyage down the sidewalk in the direction of HQ.

Elegantly, quietly, effortlessly, the gazelle-like female moved in on the fort with hardly a noise. Nothing but the soft jingling of her dog tag against its metal loop was her, every now a then a faint huff as the female slowed to a fancy trot as she approached the entrance. Baby doll face peeked inside cautiously before allowing white legs to lead the body within the walls of the fort.

"Good evening Hadrian." An endearing voice like hers was always a pleasure to hear, never a harsh word or tone. Pointed muzzle was curled in a doggy smile of sorts, a quick glance shot from side to side, looking for the others. Gilded gaze settled on the fluffed Husky female, feathered tail curling somewhat in a friendly wag. "Good evening to you too." My, she was a pretty girl, likely of good breeding. Sita admired her unique coat color a moment, before padding daintily across the fort, whuffing at Hardian as she claimed a couple of smaller sized pillows for herself. She'd leave the larger ones for everyone else, she'd manage fine with these. Speaking of the others...where were they? Had she arrived early again?

[:D YAY.]

[Dingo]

Newt

CRASH!

"Newt...c'mon little guy, I thought we were done with going out for the night..." John had come into the kitchen weary eyed, but the sight of the pudgy little corgi puppy staring defeatedly at the locked doggy door brought about a smile. In fact, Newt was glaring at the door indignantly, wrinkling his now sore nose that had taken the brunt of the collision as he was racing around the kitchen chair full speed...It was not a welcomed roadblock.
"Alright," the man sighed, flipping the latch, "I suppose you're getting big enough to come and go as you need to....and I definately don't want to wake up to puddles....or worse."

Once free in the fenced in yard, the pup raced a few circles in the dewy grass, snapping at fireflies here and there before flopping down on his side, tongue lolling from his mouth. John always gave in, it was easy, as long as he played his cards right. He'd watched Hadrian leave from the living room window almost an hour ago, and had been itching to make his move ever since. John peeked out to check once, then, just as expected, turned off the downstairs lights and headed up to bed. With a satisfied grin, the pudgy puppy made his way around the side of the house to the garden, where a hibiscus conveniently hid a neat little divet that allowed Newt to slip beneath the picket fence.

The street was eerie at night. Long shadows reached for his paws, and everything was moon colored, he never liked going to the fort alone, but he'd never admit it. By the time he made it to the park, he was sufficiently spooked, and trotted, rather than walked, the short distance to the enclosure where some of the others had already gathered. Sita and Hadrian he recognized, but there was another dog there tonight that he did not know, and a......bug? What the heck WAS that thing?! As he bounced in, suddenly at ease once more, surrounded by familiarity, he spouted off a conglomeration of things all at once.
"How come you guys always leave 'afore me an' no one ever wants to walk with me an' I always gotta go alone? Speakin' of alone, John left me alone for the whooooole day, an' when he got home, we played ball in the yard, and know what guys? I'm not very good at catchin' a ball, but when I'm big like Hadrian I bet I can do it, huh, Hadrian?"

It was amazing the little red and white fuzzball had time to BREATHE. Without missing a beat, he'd crossed to where Quentin was perched, but stayed far enough away that it wouldn't get him (or so he thought, Newt doesn't understand the concept of leaps or jumps). "What are you, some kinda bug?" My, my, what tact.

[Hadrian]

[[I'll have a post for you sometime in the next day or so. <3 Sorry about the wait guys.]]

[Hadrian]

[[So sorry about that guys. Major change in plans, and then another change in those plans... which also wound up changing. But I'm back now, yay!]]

"I am sorry I hide. You dogs. Full of pointed teeth. Carnivores."

Hadrian chuckled at the small Gecko's apology, giving his stock head a good-natured shake. He listened to the smaller creature's continuing speech, silvery eyes intent and kind as he took each word in, including the Gecko's name. Quentin. Hadrian gave the intelligent little reptile a receptive nod to show that he had been listening.

"Be that as it may, Quentin, we're all quite peaceful here. I very much doubt you need worry about being eaten by myself or my comrades."

That was very true. All the Legionnaires were very calm and collected individuals who seemed to prefer the scraps their humans gave them and the store-bought 'kibble' over the flesh of any smaller prey-like animals. They were domesticated, after all... Though a few, mostly the felines, often strayed from that general assumption. But they, at the very least, knew better than to eat potentional members. They were not quite that barbaric.

Hadrian's scarred features remained soft as he listened to the slowly growing sets of voices. Though the Fort was hardly as full as it usually was, the General was pleased with the turn out so far. Several new faces had appeared, leaving the pitbull secretly pleased. The Legionnaires definitely could use every new arrival they could.

"Thank you for the warm greeting. I mean no harm, to either of you. -- You live here? This is a very cozy place. I met another dog a few days ago. She called herself Slipstream. I have seen her come to this area before. And a bird...a bird talked about a group...."

"You're quite welcome, Shila... And no, none of us 'live' here, though I agree, it's quite cozy. We all meet here rather regularly, Slipstream included. In fact, she should be here sometime tonight, along with many others I would be more than happy to introduce you to." Hadrian spoke quitely with a slow, regal nod towards Shila, his features still gentle and welcoming as he continued, "And any of them will gladly answer any questions you have, myself included."

The male waited for a moment before he shifted to sit comfortably amongst the pillows and toys that lay scattered about the room. Letting his thoughts wander, a soft smirk threatened to show up on Hadrian's muzzle. Josephine would have a fit as soon as she saw the state of disarray the Fort was in. Such a tidy being she was. It suited her, though.

"Good evening Hadrian."

The General's ears perked at the gentle voice that wafted through the door of the Fort, his gray eyes drawing away from his thoughts as he redirected his attention to the owner of the voice. Sita. With a faint but warm smile upon his lightly scarred muzzle, the male gave his docked-tail a brief wag. She spoke very little, at first, making her round of greetings before getting down to what lay at hand. She was a very gentle creature, something Hadrian admired, because in a sense she was untainted, and still a very strong asset to the Legionnaires.

"Good evening, Sita. You're well, I hope?"

Before the General had the opportunity to recieve an answer, a sudden barrage of words tumbled upon them all. Cropped ears perking, Hadrian found himself searching for the source of such high-speed, one-sided conversation, only to find himself gazing closer to the floor than he had expected.

"How come you guys always leave 'afore me an' no one ever wants to walk with me an' I always gotta go alone? Speakin' of alone, John left me alone for the whooooole day, an' when he got home, we played ball in the yard, and know what guys? I'm not very good at catchin' a ball, but when I'm big like Hadrian I bet I can do it, huh, Hadrian?"

Newt. A smile appeared on the rugged pitbull's features as he listened to the little corgi ramble on. Such energy. Where others may find it annoying, Hadrian secretly found it more endearing than anything. Newt seemed to want so badly to make something of himself, to be of some use to the Legionnaires. And with time, perhaps he very well could be just that.

"It's not that we don't want to walk with you, Newt, it's just that all our schedules are different," Hadrian spoke slowly as he shifted his seat upon his pillows, eyeing the young corgi and chuckling at the last bit of his long shpiel, "Of course, Newt... it just takes practice."

There was a brief moment in which Newt stopped talking to examine Quentin. And that was a very brief moment.

"What are you, some kinda bug?"

At that... Even Hadrian couldn't help but laugh. Letting out a poorly stifled snort of laughter, the large male dropped his head down to further squelch his chuckling, but with hardly any luck. Shaking his head, a muffled disbelieving sigh crept out from beneath the paw covering his snout.

"Newt...."

[Squeeji]

The gecko listened to Hadrian's words carefully, he did not seem dangerous, nor did the two females. Shila, and Sita...Sita, a female, a few shades of brown and white. Quentin noted as she had came in. It was the puppy that concerned him. Newt, not a newt, dog hatchling. Tan and white...it had...stumpy legs.

"What are you, some kinda bug?"

The teenaged reptile didn't seem to even justify the statement with any form of shock or disgust. Instead his mouth curved into what was obviously a smile. "Yes, Quentin is bug. A very big, puppy eating bug." He teased, his voice squawking some before taking a leap towards the pup. Hoping to get a bit of a rise out of him.